IBM and Infineon Technologies AG today announced they have developed the most advanced Magnetic Random Access Memory (MRAM) technology to date by integrating magnetic memory components into a high-performance logic base. Today's announcement could accelerate the commercialization of MRAM, a breakthrough memory technology with the potential to begin replacing some of today's memory technologies as early as 2005. MRAM could lead to 'instant on' computers, allowing users to turn computers on and off as quickly as a light switch.
At the VLSI Symposia taking place here this week, IBM and Infineon are presenting their high-speed 128Kbit MRAM core. It is fabricated with a 0.18 micron logic-based process technology, the smallest size reported to date for MRAM technology. This small base enabled IBM and Infineon to incorporate the smallest MRAM memory-cell size of 1.4 square microns, which is about 20 million times smaller than the average pencil eraser top. By accurately patterning the magnetic structures within this small cell, IBM and Infineon researchers were able to control the memory reading and writing operations. The non-volatility attribute of MRAM carries significant implications, especially for mobile computing devices. Memory technologies like DRAM and SRAM require constant electrical power to retain stored data. When power is cut off, all data in memory is lost. A laptop computer, for example, works from a copy of its software stored in memory. When turned on, a working version of the software is copied from the hard-disk drive into memory, so the user can access it quickly. Every time the power is turned off and then back on, the process must start over. By using MRAM, the laptop could work more like other electronic devices such as a television or radio: turn the power on and the machine jumps almost instantly to life with settings just as you had left them.
At the VLSI Symposia taking place here this week, IBM and Infineon are presenting their high-speed 128Kbit MRAM core. It is fabricated with a 0.18 micron logic-based process technology, the smallest size reported to date for MRAM technology. This small base enabled IBM and Infineon to incorporate the smallest MRAM memory-cell size of 1.4 square microns, which is about 20 million times smaller than the average pencil eraser top. By accurately patterning the magnetic structures within this small cell, IBM and Infineon researchers were able to control the memory reading and writing operations. The non-volatility attribute of MRAM carries significant implications, especially for mobile computing devices. Memory technologies like DRAM and SRAM require constant electrical power to retain stored data. When power is cut off, all data in memory is lost. A laptop computer, for example, works from a copy of its software stored in memory. When turned on, a working version of the software is copied from the hard-disk drive into memory, so the user can access it quickly. Every time the power is turned off and then back on, the process must start over. By using MRAM, the laptop could work more like other electronic devices such as a television or radio: turn the power on and the machine jumps almost instantly to life with settings just as you had left them.
